The Assignment
by His Keno Waitress
Summary: Spencer and Ashley's English class isn't having a regular end of year exam. Instead they have to write papers about subjects of their choice. OneShot.


**Disclaimer**: Haha, I wish.

Spencer peered up at the clock. Two minutes until the bell rang. It was Friday, sixth hour. She wanted it to be over. Her English teacher stood up from behind his desk.

"Class, I'd like to announce that this course is not going to have a normal final exam. Instead of taking a multiple choice test, you are all to write a paper. Those of us instructing the 10th grade English courses have decided that this method of exam would be more beneficial to see how well students learned the material this year. The subject of your papers is up to you. Just take into account all of the literature we've read over the past nine months, writing styles, proper punctuation and grammar, and all other aspects of language. This is the only portion of exam you will take. You're paper must be at least 1,750 words in length. Pick a subject that is important to you. The paper is due June 7th, but don't leave it for last minute. If you complete it early, feel free to turn it in. The sooner you give it to me, the sooner you receive your grade." When he finished speaking, the bell rang, as if on cue.

Spencer didn't have to think long on what she was going to write her paper on. She mulled over a few ideas: the move, her family, her life in Ohio. They all seemed important to her. They didn't seem big enough for such a big assignment, though.

Ashley was standing near the doorway, waiting for her best friend. After excessive talking, the teacher had separated the two girls, the brunette in front, the blonde in back.

"Could you take any longer?" Ashley teased.

"Sure," Spencer replied, setting her books challengingly back onto the desk.

"Not even funny. Let's go! You're wasting my precious weekend away!" Ashley insisted.

Spencer grabbed her belongings back up and walked out the door next to Ashley. They headed straight for Ashley's car. After riding in silence for a few moments, Ashley spoke up.

"What are you going to write your paper on?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, yet." Spencer claimed. The blonde really had the subject of her paper already figured out. She could start writing it any moment she wanted. "You?"

"I don't know either. I'll probably think of something soon though," Ashley responded. "Do you want a burger? 'Cause I definitely do."

"Sounds good," Spencer agreed.

* * *

Wednesday:

Spencer had turned her paper in on Monday. She spent three hours writing it on Saturday morning, before any one else in the house was up. That's when she loved to write or finish homework. The house was most peaceful then. Ashley had also turned her paper in on Monday.

"I have the first batch of papers read and graded. As I call your name, come up to get it," their teacher told them just before the end of class. "Tony," he began calling names.

After five names, Spencer was called up. She anxiously grasped the paper from the older man. "Nice job, Carlin. It was very well written and I loved your subject."

She looked down at the paper and seen she had received an 'A-.' She was elated that she scored so well. As she headed back to her seat, Ashley was called up and retrieved her paper.

Ashley looked down and seen she had also received an 'A-.' She smiled as she walked back to Spencer's desk and asked what she had gotten as a grade. She set the paper down on her friend's desk.

"An A-! I'm so happy!" the blonde exclaimed.

"Same here! Let's go celebrate with ice cream," Ashley suggested, before picking her paper back up.

Spencer agreed to meet Ashley back at the car in ten minutes. She needed to find Clay and tell him that he would be going out with Ashley for a while.

As she walked she took a closer look at the paper she was still holding. She didn't remember titling it, "The Girl." She examined the rest of the cover page and realized she had been accidentally taken Ashley's paper off her desk.

She flipped it open, despite feeling guilty of intruding her friend's privacy. Her eyes began scanning the paper as they took in the words. A smile formed on Spencer's lips as she finished reading the piece.

She had just closed the paper as she walked up to Clay. She explained to him what her plans were.

"Have a fun time," he told her, with a wide grin. Chelsea was holding his hand.

_Aw, they're so cute together,_ Spencer thought.

The blonde walked back through the school's campus and arrived at Ashley's car. She was sitting in the front seat drumming her fingers against the steering wheel to "Handguns and Second Chances" by Senses Fail.

"Hey, can I see your paper? I want to read it," Spencer requested as she climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Uh, yeah," Ashley answered, searching through her bag which lay on the back seat. "Here."

Spencer flipped it open to the last page, and scanned through it, quickly.

"I thought you were going to read it?" Ashley questioned.

"I lied," Spencer said as she moved the paper back towards Ashley. "Read here," her finger rested on a line in the last paragraph.

"I don't need to read it, I wrote it." Ashley arched her eyebrows, wondering why Spencer was acting so oddly.

"Just read," Spencer urged.

Ashley took the paper from the blonde and let her eyes fall on the sentence Spencer had pointed to. She decided to read aloud.

"'All I can say about Ashley Davies is that she is the only person that knows me better than myself.'" Ashley looked up at Spencer quickly. "I didn't write that."

"I know, because I have your paper. And I read it," Spencer confessed.

Ashley's mouth opened, but nothing came out. She was relieved when Spencer hadn't actually read the paper she had pulled from her bag. She didn't really want it to be read.

"I should probably change what I wrote in my paper. I should have written, 'All I can say about Ashley Davies is that I love her, too.'" Spencer told her friend.

Ashley smiled and leaned forward catching her best friend's lips in a kiss.

_I love English,_ the brunette thought just before pulling away.

"So, what about that ice cream?" Spencer asked.

* * *

I hope this came out as good as I was hoping. Please review! For those of you that are reading "Even Better At Night" I should be getting that updated soon. Just watch for it.


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